Chirac seized the occasion to periodically criticise Jospin's government. Claude was a long-term public relations assistant and personal adviser to her father,[99] while Laurence, who suffered from anorexia nervosa in her youth, did not participate in her father's political activities. All parties other than the National Front (except for Lutte ouvrière) called for opposing Le Pen, even if it meant voting for Chirac. Knapp, Andrew. [15], Chirac played rugby union for Brive's youth team, and also played at university level. He received 20% of the vote in the first ballot of the presidential elections in April 2002. In an address to the nation, Chirac declared that the new cabinet's top priority was to curb unemployment, which was consistently hovering above 10 percent, calling for a "national mobilisation" to that effect. Jacques Chirac, French politician who served as the country’s president (1995–2007) and prime minister (1974–76, 1986–88) and was a dominant figure in 20th-century French politics. Cohabitation significantly weakened the power of Chirac's presidency. "[97], In 1956, Chirac married Bernadette Chodron de Courcel, with whom he had two daughters: Laurence (4 March 1958 – 14 April 2016)[98] and Claude (born 6 December 1962). He passed himself off, as a right-wing voter, by changing his voice. Retour sur plusieurs moments télé culte de sa longue carrière politique. It had been expected that he would face incumbent prime minister Lionel Jospin (PS) in the second round of elections; instead, Chirac faced far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen of the National Front (FN), who came in 200,000 votes ahead of Jospin. Pierre Juillet le fait entrer en novembre 1964 à la commission de développement économique régional du Limousin ; le 14 mars 1965, Chirac est élu conseiller municipal de Sainte-Féréole, en Corrèze, berceau des grands-parents maternels … Reelected in 2002. Paradoxically, Chirac benefited from Giscard's decision to create the office of mayor in Paris, which had been in abeyance since the 1871 Commune, because the leaders of the Third Republic (1871–1940) feared that having municipal control of the capital would give the mayor too much power. He held a series of national jobs and then in 1977 became the first elected mayor of Paris -- a post that had been, until then, an appointed position. jeudi 26 septembre 2019, Jacques Chirac meurt à l’âge de 86 ans. Chirac won re-election by a landslide, with 82 percent of the vote on the second ballot. Chirac was tried and convicted of putting his political party workers on the city's payroll, and was given a two-year suspended sentence. Dès l’année suivante, il intègre l’Institut d’études politiques de Paris, se destinant à une carrière dans l’administration. He doubled the number of presidential cars – to 61 cars and seven scooters in the Palace's garage. In 2006, The Economist wrote that Chirac "is the most unpopular occupant of the Elysée Palace in the fifth republic's history."[51]. [19], Chirac trained as a reserve military officer in armoured cavalry at Saumur. He said his country's nuclear arsenal had been reconfigured to include the ability to make a tactical strike in retaliation for terrorism. The Osirak deal was then used by parts of the American media to criticise the Chirac-led opposition to starting a war in Iraq,[85] despite French involvement in the Gulf War. But the end of his political career did not end his problems. [28], After the poor results of the election, Chirac broke with Garaud and Juillet. … After Togo's leader Gnassingbé Eyadéma's death on 5 February 2005, Chirac gave him tribute and supported his son, Faure Gnassingbé, who has since succeeded his father. Hospitalised in Hôpital Cochin after a car crash, he declared that "as always about the drooping of France, the pro-foreign party acts with its peaceable and reassuring voice". He attended Cours Hattemer in Paris. In December 1974, he took the lead of the Union of Democrats for the Republic (UDR) against the will of its more senior personalities. "That any given individual country could go to war, or wage war on its own, is unthinkable, no one's even contemplating that. His great-grandparents on both sides were peasants in the rural south-western region of the Corrèze. [36] Reacting to criticism, Chirac said, "You only have to look back at 1935...There were people then who were against France arming itself, and look what happened." These two organised the campaign against Chaban-Delmas in 1974. [87], Chirac's immunity from prosecution ended in May 2007, when he left office as president. Along with Vladimir Putin (whom he called "a personal friend"),[55] Hu Jintao, and Gerhard Schröder, Chirac emerged as a leading voice against George W. Bush and Tony Blair in 2003 during the organisation and deployment of American and British forces participating in a military coalition to forcibly remove the government of Iraq controlled by the Ba'ath Party under the leadership of Saddam Hussein that resulted in the 2003–2011 Iraq War. Former President Jacques Chirac, a political chameleon who dominated French politics for decades and strived to make France's voice heard in Europe and beyond, died on Thursday at the age of 86. [25], After his departure from the cabinet, Chirac wanted to gain the leadership of the political right, to gain the French presidency in the future. Despite British and American pressure, Chirac threatened to veto, at that given point, a resolution in the UN Security Council that would authorise the use of military force to rid Iraq of alleged weapons of mass destruction, and rallied other governments to his position. During his two terms, he increased the Elysee Palace's total budget by 105 percent (to €90 million, whereas 20 years before it was the equivalent of €43.7 million). The RPR was conceived as an electoral machine against President Giscard d'Estaing. Secretary of State for Economy and Finance: 1968–71. Elected in 1967, reelected in 1968, 1973, 1976, 1981, 1986, 1988, 1993: Member for Corrèze: March–April 1967 (became Secretary of State in April 1967), reelected in 1968, 1973, but he remained a minister in 1976–1986 (became Prime Minister in 1986), 1988–95 (resigned to become President of the French Republic in 1995). Chirac clearly understood the political value in the job: Being mayor of the capital was a perfect springboard to national power. President François Mitterrand had reiterated this position: "The Republic had nothing to do with this. However, Chirac became increasingly unpopular during his second term. [90], On 7 March 2011, he went on trial on charges of diverting public funds, accused of giving fictional city jobs to twenty-eight activists from his political party while serving as the mayor of Paris (1977–95). The sequence of events ignited a large fire and caused the Concorde to veer left on its takeoff roll. Tout au long de sa vie, l'ancien président de la République a aimé être au contact des artistes et des stars.20 Minutes [84], The Osirak deal became a controversy again in 2002–2003, when an international military coalition led by the United States invaded Iraq and forcibly removed Hussein's government from power. Chirac was born in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. The photograph of Flight 4590 ablaze, the only picture taken of the Concorde on fire, was taken by passenger Toshihiko Sato on Chirac's jetliner. He was told by Mitterrand, before his death, that the latter had dined with Chirac before the election. [61], Following major student protests in spring 2006, which followed civil unrest in autumn 2005 after the death of two young boys in Clichy-sous-Bois, one of the poorest communes in Paris' suburbs, Chirac retracted the proposed First Employment Contract (CPE) by "promulgating [it] without applying it", an unheard-of – and, some claim, illegal – move intended to appease the protesters while giving the appearance of not making a volte-face regarding the contract, and therefore to continue his support for his Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin. [52] In October 2004, Chirac signed a trade agreement with PRC President Hu Jintao where Alstom was given €1 billion in contracts and promises of future investment in China.[53]. "[29] His rivalry with Giscard d'Estaing intensified. According to Chirac, his name "originates from the langue d'oc, that of the troubadours, therefore that of poetry". On 21 March 1974, he cancelled the SAFARI project due to privacy concerns after its existence was revealed by Le Monde. Tiberi was finally expelled from the Rally for the Republic, Chirac's party, on 12 October 2000, declaring to the Figaro magazine on 18 November 2000: "Jacques Chirac is not my friend anymore".[41]. He had immunity from the charges while he was president, but as he moved out of office, the prosecutor moved in. Jacques Chirac died on 26 September 2019, at the age of 86. Following the referendum defeat, Chirac replaced his Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin with Domenique de Villepin. However, as Giscard had been knocked out, Chirac appeared as the principal leader of the right-wing opposition. [100] Chirac was the grandfather of Martin Rey-Chirac by the relationship of Claude with French judoka Thierry Rey. [68], As a former President of France, he was entitled to a lifetime pension and personal security protection, and was an ex officio member for life of the Constitutional Council. As president, he clearly enjoyed mixing in with the crowds, trying a bite of this or a glass of that, and often attended agricultural fairs. Jacques René Chirac was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Date de naissance de Bernadette Chirac. For years, he was dogged by charges of corruption dating back decades to his time in the Paris City Hall. Secretary of State for Social Affairs: 1967–68. "Chirac and ‘la Francafrique’: No longer a family affair. Ultimately, he obtained more votes than Balladur in the first round (20.8 percent), and then defeated the Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin in the second round (52.6 percent). Today the organisation executive board is chaired by Philippe Douste-Blazy. Jacques René Chirac was born on November 29, 1932, in a prosperous Parisian family to the head of the aviation company Abel François Marie Chirac and a housewife, Marie-Louise Valette. [7] After pursuing these policies in his second term as Prime Minister, he changed his views. But almost from the beginning of his term, he was faced with labor unrest over his economic austerity plans. [citation needed]. [18], In 1953, after graduating from the Sciences Po, he attended a non-credit course at Harvard University's summer school, before entering the École nationale d'administration, which trains France's top civil servants, in 1957. [79] He was originally portrayed as a rather likable, though overexcited, character; following the corruption allegations, however, he was depicted as a kind of dilettante and incompetent who pilfered public money and lied through his teeth. This matter has been called the second Clearstream Affair. [56], Chirac criticized the Israeli offensive into Lebanon on 14 July 2006. Although it has been often interpreted by historians as the struggle between two rival French right-wing families (the Bonapartists, represented by Chirac, and the Orleanists, represented by VGE), both figures in fact were members of the liberal, Orleanist tradition, according to historian Alain-Gérard Slama. “President Jacques Chirac … As prime minister, Chirac quickly set about persuading the Gaullists that, despite the social reforms proposed by President Giscard, the basic tenets of Gaullism, such as national and European independence, would be retained. After his baccalauréat, he served for three months as a sailor on a coal-transport. Following the public ceremony, Chirac was buried at the Montparnasse Cemetery with only his closest family in attendance. Struggle for the right-wing leadership: 1976–1986, State responsibility for the roundup of Jews. They advocated a clash with Giscard d'Estaing because they thought his policy bewildered the conservative electorate. … I do not believe France is responsible," he said in September 1994. In February 2014 he was admitted to hospital because of pains related to gout. People; Triste nouvelle pour le clan Chirac. [citation needed]. Chirac's internal policies initially included lower tax rates, the removal of price controls, strong punishment for crime and terrorism, and business privatisation. Vexed Marie-France Garaud stated: "We thought Chirac was made of the same marble of which statues are carved in, we perceive he's of the same faience bidets are made of. This unprecedented power-sharing arrangement, known as cohabitation, gave Chirac the lead in domestic affairs. [65] He did not, during the broadcast, endorse any of the candidates running for election, but did devote several minutes of his talk to a plea against extremist politics that was considered a thinly disguised invocation to voters not to vote for Jean-Marie Le Pen and a recommendation to Nicolas Sarkozy not to orient his campaign so as to include themes traditionally associated with Le Pen. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: 1972–74. Chirac was also featured in Le Bêbête Show as an overexcited, jumpy character. En 1952, il est sur les bancs de la Summer school d’Harvard quand il rencontre Florence Herlihy, une jeune américaine avec qui il se fiance. His character for a while developed a superhero alter ego, Super Menteur ("Super Liar") to get him out of embarrassing situations. Jacques Chirac [ʒɑk ʃiʁak] , né le 29 novembre 1932 à Paris (Ve), est un haut fonctionnaire et homme d'État français. General councillor of Corrèze: 1968–88. [83] As part of this deal, France sold Iraq the Osirak MTR nuclear reactor, designed to test nuclear materials. Par Vince Murce Le 14 avril 2016 à 16h41 mis à jour 02 avril 2019 à 18h13 . Immediately after Sarkozy's victory, Chirac moved into a 180-square-metre (1,900 sq ft) duplex on the Quai Voltaire in Paris lent to him by the family of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Jacques Chirac vient de décéder ce jeudi à l'âge de 86 ans. The move led to was certainly a low point in Franco-American relations, but as Chirac told CNN at the time, there was no going back. Et puis c’est en région parisienne qu’il poursuivra son cursus scolaire, obtenant en 1950 son baccalauréat avec la mention assez bien. European Military Support for Operations in Southwest Asia", "Chirac faces investigation into 'misuse of public cash, "Le dossier judiciaire de Jacques Chirac s'alourdit", "France: Jacques Chirac corruption trial opens", "Jacques Chirac trial faces further delays", "French ex-President Jacques Chirac guilty of corruption", "Jacques Chirac found guilty of corruption", "Chirac Found Guilty in Political Funding Case", Caught in deep water: Chirac swims against a tide of scandal, "The troubled daughter of a French President, hidden away for decades, has died", "BBC World Service: "Letter from Paris – John Laurenson on Claude Chirac's crucial but understated electoral role, "Chirac's wife tells of anorexic daughter's death wish", "Troubled Chirac's adopted daughter rides to his rescue", French leaders featured in extramarital affair website billboard campaign, "First lady tells of Chirac's infidelity", "The Hollande Affair and the End of Presidential Privacy in France", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jacques_Chirac&oldid=1000000978, French military personnel of the Algerian War, Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Grand Collars of the Order of Prince Henry, Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit (France), Grand Crosses of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, Grand Crosses of the Order of Vytautas the Great, Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, Knights of the Order of Agricultural Merit, People convicted of misusing public funds, Recipients of the Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, Recipients of the Cross for Military Valour, Recipients of the Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria, Recipients of the National Order of Merit (Malta), Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 1st class, State Prize of the Russian Federation laureates, Candidates in the 2002 French presidential election, Heads of government who were later imprisoned, Recipients of the Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Articles with dead external links from April 2010, Articles with dead external links from July 2017, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2019, Articles needing additional references from May 2017, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from September 2019, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Articles needing additional references from November 2019, Pages using S-rel template with ca parameter, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CINII identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Collar of the Order of Etihad (Order of the Federation), Bell, David S., Erwin C. Hargrove, and Kevin Theakston. Millerand held the presidency in an acting capacity before being fully elected. During the 1995 presidential campaign, Chirac criticised the "sole thought" (pensée unique) of neoliberalism represented by his challenger on the right and promised to reduce the "social fracture", placing himself more to the centre and thus forcing Balladur to radicalise himself. [94] He did not attend his trial, since medical doctors deemed that his neurological problems damaged his memory. He passed away at the age of 86 on 26th September 2019. President of the General Council of Corrèze: 1970–1979. Despite past opposition to state intervention the Chirac government approved a €2.8 billion aid package to troubled manufacturing giant Alstom. In return, the new president chose Chirac to lead the cabinet. The day was declared a national day of mourning in France and a minute of silence was held nationwide at 15:00. [66], Shortly after leaving office, he launched the Fondation Chirac[67] in June 2008. The Israeli Air Force alleged that the reactor's imminent commissioning was a threat to its security, and pre-emptively bombed the Osirak reactor on 7 June 1981, provoking considerable anger from French officials and the United Nations Security Council. His grandparents were teachers[10] from Sainte-Féréole in Corrèze. [20] He then volunteered to fight in the Algerian War, using personal connections to be sent despite the reservations of his superiors. The possibility of a further attempt foundered after Chirac was forced into cohabitation with a Socialist-led cabinet between 1997 and 2002, then poor Franco-American relations after the French UN veto threat over Iraq in 2003 made transatlantic negotiations impossible.